Rating: 
Summary: Give Harry a Break
Review: I have loved Connelly since reading the Poet.
This book was lacking the pace and the depth of other mc books.
To show you that I am a true mc groupy, I check his web site on and off to see what is going on with future books and to read the conversation board with mc and his fans.
Frankly I think all that praise has gone to his head, affecting his aproach to Bosch.
The Poet and Void Moon had a freedom lacking in half of the Bosch books. Clearly there is an alter ego aspect to mc and his most written about character. In CoB's some of the Harry versus Self and versus Past and versus Establishment is under-described and the plot is under-worked. At this point most of the readers of mc's books know all about Bosch amd maybe mc did not want to weave details into this book. I miss the cop from Angel's Flight and the Concrete Blond and the Last Coyote.
Void Moom made me so tense that I nearly jumped out the window while I was reading it (as fast as I could). Reading CoB's I kept falling asleep. I wanted to care about who killed that little boy but in order to do that I need some dramatic tension and could not find it. I guess maybe the style of the book reflected the feelings of a tired cop.
I want the next book to have a complicated plot with a challenged protagonist, whom ever the book is about.
Rating: 
Summary: Michael Connelly Has Done It Again
Review: Detective Harry Bosch is no stranger to Michael Connelly fans. In this seventh book of the series, Connelly doesn't disappoint. A new case uncovers buried bones from 20 years ago. And Bosch can't shake the story the bones of the 12-year-old boy are trying to tell.
The bones reveal heavy abuse. A brutal death. An abbreviated life that may have been better off dead after all. While the mystery behind the bones starts to unravel, new obstacles begin to block the case's progression. In the middle of it all, Bosch finds himself falling for a rookie cop. As Bosch and his partner try to solve the case, what seems to be a routine procedure goes terribly wrong. Bosch's career is in trouble, his personal life is in turmoil and he's rocketing toward a decision that will affect the rest of his life. Whether you're a hard-core Harry Bosch fan or just starting to read about this detective's all-too-human daily life, "City of Bones" is an excellent chronicle with a compelling plot and well-developed characters.
Rating: 
Summary: The Light at the End of the Tunnel?
Review: Michael Connelly may be the Jerry Seinfeld of crime fiction. He builds his stories with pieces of the nothings of everyday life. When Harry Bosch bungles the switch from call waiting, Lt. Grace Billets, who's been his boss since "Angel's Flight", finally finds out that he and Jerry Edger call her Bullets. Watch sergeant Mankiewicz tells Bosch to use his wiles as in Wile E. Coyote to move the bones case along and knows that the best donuts in his squad room come from Bob's in the Farmer's Market. Bosch fans will also appreciate how smoothly Connelly intorduces another love interest to the series while an old one remains on the scene. Teresa Corazon, a soul mate and casual sex partner of Harry way back in "The Black Ice" is now the publicity hungry Medical Examiner who takes a camera crew to document everything she investigates. She's become almost as much of a bumbling nemesis as Harvey "98" Pounds used to be. Julia Brasher, a rookie cop in her mid-thirties, former lawyer from a family of successful lawyers, is Harry's current squeeze. When the old bones of an abused young boy are found in a shallow grave, the reader should recognize from the outset that technology and good policework will enable the cops to I.D. the victim pretty quickly. The early part of the story isn't about what the investigation uncovers but rather the unintended consequences of events it sets in motion. Deputy Chief Irving is still around, always ready to deep six the truth and Harry's investigation if it will make his department look better. He's more than outlived his usefulness as the poster boy for evil bureaucrats, but where would Harry be without him to rebel against? Once the bones are identified and Harry starts to resurrect the dirty secrets of the family de la Croix, the story goes back to a Connellly whodunit - one where Harry may be the only one who really cares about the truth. The pace and path to the solution are typical Connelly, exceptionally well done. As to the ending, if you've read the jacket or another review you already know that it's different. The question is, when the old tunnel rat finally does see the light at the end, is it a door to a new beginning or the dreaded oncoming train? I'm hoping for the door out and a whole new series of Harry Bosch stories.
Rating: 
Summary: bosch redux
Review: the solution to the murder was weakly done.It neede n more punch like COYOTE.
Harry Bosch will go home get blitzed on amber steam and realize he really cant leave the LAPD. The new position has merits and Im sure a new super case will be assigned to him.Harrys best when hes working--heading to retirement deliriums is not his style.
Harry will return!!!
Rating:
Summary: This poweful novel explores the dark side of human nature.
Review: Harry Bosch, the detective protagonist of Michael Connelly's latest novel, "City of Bones," has been a member of the Los Angeles Police Department for more than twenty-five years. During his long career, Harry has seen it all. He has been battered both physically and emotionally throughout the years, and at this stage in his life, he is not easily rattled. One day, however, a dog unearths a child's bone that has been buried in the Hollywood hills for more than twenty years. The forensic anthropologist determines that not only was the child murdered, but he had also been severely beaten over a long period of time prior to his death. Who was this child and is there a chance that the murderer can be brought to justice after so many years? For reasons of his own, Harry cannot be objective about this case. He vows to find the murderer, no matter how much time and effort it takes. Against the background of this intense investigation, Harry begins a risky affair with a rookie cop, Julia Brasher. He also clashes with his superiors in the LAPD and with the media, who are determined to sensationalize the case. Harry does not suffer fools gladly, and he is impatient with people who are incompetent and/or self-serving. "City of Bones" is particularly noteworthy for Connelly's excellent depiction of the LAPD's complex procedures and internal politics. The author has done his homework and his book has an air of authenticity that many similar novels lack. "City of Bones" is not a pretty, "feel-good" novel. It is a deeply pessimistic book about the dark side of human nature. Connelly touches on such unpleasant topics as child abuse, police brutality, and suicide . The Los Angeles of this novel is a "city of bones" both literally and figuratively. Several characters in the novel have ugly secrets that they hope will remain hidden, but, like buried bones, secrets have a nasty habit of ultimately being revealed. "City of Bones" is a gritty, dramatic and unsettling novel. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Disappoints in the end
Review: Anyone who has read the previous works by Michael Connelly featuring Harry Bosch absolutely MUST read this one, as opening *City of Bones* and once again encountering Bosch is its own way like being reintroduced to an old friend. As is so often the case with Connelly's novels, the story is grisly and depressing, and the mood overall very *noir*. In terms of the quality of the writing, the development of some (not all) characters, and the plot line *most* of the way through, Connelly once again delivers a tight, gripping, fascinating book that is hard to put down. However, I confess that I was keenly disappointed in the book's ending. I expected some final twists and turns in the plot that would tie together some definite loose ends, but these never materialized. No spoilers here, so I will simply have to declare that I felt in more ways than one, the way the story concluded was disjointed and unsatisfying. This has rarely been the case previously with Michael Connelly's novels, and this renders my disappointment doubly keen. Another problem is that *City of Bones* reveals very little about Harry Bosch's personality and personal history, and so readers who have not read the previous Bosch novels will surely not find the protagonist nearly as interesting as those who have several books' worth of previous character development to fall back upon. There are cryptic references to Bosch's past here and there, but Connelly seems to assume that he is writing for an audience that already knows his character, and this seems to me to be a mistake.
Rating:
Summary: Another Michael Connelly page-turner
Review: Each time Michael Connelly turns out another Harry Bosch novel, I vow to take my time...pace myself...savor his latest literary accomplishment. It's never going to happen! I finished City of Bones last evening. I bought it 4 days ago. For those die-hard Connelly fans that loved favorites like The Concrete Blond" and "Trunk Music" you are in for a treat. It is pure Harry Bosch, in all his inner-pain and glory! I was a little distracted by the off-shoot story-line involving a rookie female cop; in the end though, I simply appreciated what it adds to our vision of the character, Harry Bosch. Michael Connelley...I almost wish you'd release these novels a chapter at a time!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed with Reader
Review: I have LOVED Michael Connolly's books. I have purchased and listened to every single audio version. I enjoy Dick Hill's performances as much as the writing. I was willing to accept other readers in the non Bosch books. NOW I DRAW THE LINE> I will not buy this book nor listen to it. Mr.Hill's voice is Harry. I will accept no other. No offense to the reader. he may be great-------but not for Harry. Connolly made a bad mistake not using Mr. Hill. I won't buy another of his books until Dick Hill is the reader------at least when they are about Harry Bosch. Don Cantrell
Rating:
Summary: Good, But Not His Best
Review: In this ninth outing for Harry Bosch, the Los Angeles detective finds himself investigating the discovery of a child's skeleton in the hills of Hollywood.In true Connelly fashion, things aren't always what they seem, and one set of clues doesn't necessarily lead to another. I love this character, and found the most interesting aspect of this particular book how the case affected him. However I didn't find it to be the taut, tension driven narrative that I think is so prevalent in his first five books. To me nothing since has topped them for their sheer heart pounding plots. Still it's definitely worth reading especially if you're a fan of Harry.
Rating:
Summary: Make no bones about it ...
Review: City of Bones has been put together like a skeleton - only there seems to be a few bones missing. Michael Connelly's eighth Harry Bosch title is disjointed and disappointing - a letdown from his usual brilliance evidenced in A Darkness More Than Night, Void Moon, Angels Flight, Blood Work, and The Poet. The plot sees LAPD veteran Bosch investigating the discovery of a child's skeleton, buried for 20 years. However a storyline that starts with so much promise also become buried. The characters are flimsy and the investigation, a facile victory.
It seems even the usual brilliant Connelly became bored and rather than deliver his usual twists and turns, sent this story down a deadend street.
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